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Promoting Agricultural Digital Innovation: Taipei Tech, Fwusow, and NCHU Jointly Present R&D Achievements

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To accelerate agricultural digital transformation, the Taiwan Gloria Center (TGC) facilitated a joint research and development partnership between Taipei Tech, National Chung Hsing University (NCHU), and Fwusow Industry Co., Ltd., a major player in the domestic agricultural circular economy. Funded by the National Science and Technology Council for Scientific Research Industrialization Platform, TGC is a cross-university platform for industry-academia collaboration. It held a presentation showcasing the agricultural digital transformation results from the partnership.

Attendees at the presentation included Presidential Senior Advisor Shen Jong-Chin; Director-General Secretary Huang Ya-Ping from the Administration for Digital Industries, Ministry of Digital Affairs; Special Committee Member Wu Hsin-Fei from the Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs; and Dean Chen Ter-Hsin from the College of Veterinary Medicine at NCHU. A series of digital technologies and solutions were showcased, demonstrating technologies that produce healthy and safe products while ensuring sustainable agriculture and food industry growth, in line with environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) principles.

Taipei Tech President Wang Sea-Fu stated that Fwusow, with a century-long commitment to Taiwan, is a major driver of the agricultural circular economy in Taiwan, which is evident in its being honored with the Asia Responsible Enterprise Award in 2023. Taipei Tech, as a leading vocational school also with a century-long history, has been collaborating with Fwusow through Taipei Tech’s Frontier Institute of Research for Science and Technology. The two partners have worked on projects such as the Digital Platform for Production and Management Center, Automated Feed Mills in Shalu District, Automated Factories at Taichung Port, and personnel training programs. Through these projects, the partners aim to utilize innovations devised by Taipei Tech faculty members and students in promoting sustainable food and agricultural development.

Fwusow's Chairman, Hong Yao-Kun, detailed the company's century-long dedication to safe, healthy food production and its commitment to sustainable operations and transformation into a “green enterprise.” It has gradually integrated upstream and downstream industries, expanding businesses into human food, pet food, animal feed, agricultural materials, and meat processing, forming an agricultural circular economy. In recent years, the company has introduced digital transformation that includes AI-powered smart manufacturing and new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. It has also engaged in programs such as equipment replacement, processes improvements, labor rights protections, and social welfare projects. All of these programs aim at enhancing the overall operational effectiveness of the company and creating brand value.

Hong further pointed out that Fwusow has built a new generation of intelligent manufacturing and operation systems through the partnership with the Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Institute for Information Industry. Fwusow’s Digital Development Office, established in 2018, spearheaded the partnership projects with the two institutes. The projects included automated packaging, Fwusow App sales management system, factory monitoring and disaster prevention system, and edible oil production monitoring and management. In 2022, Fwusow started partnership with Taipei Tech and NCHU on multiple projects, which further drove the company towards Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. This new partnership introduced projects such as precision production of commercial broiler, odor control in feed mills, and optimization of production processes. Hong hopes that the multi-party cooperation of industry, academia, research institute, and government will jointly carry out the value of local agricultural circular economy and expand the social impact of environmental sustainability.

Presidential Senior Advisor Shen Jong-Chin, a Taipei Tech alumnus, praised the collaboration between the two century-old institutions and the company, highlighting Taipei Tech’s and NCHU's roles in advancing agricultural digital transformation. He encouraged more industry support for such partnerships.

Lin Chih-Che, Director of the Taipei Tech-Fwusow Joint Research and Development Center, stated that the Digital Production Management Center Platform utilizes the triple-tier network architecture that was developed by the school's information security specialists. The management platform enhances Fwusow’s IT security and helps maintain stable, long-term output from the factories at Taichung Port. The Automated Feed Mills project in Shalu District uses AI machine learning and an odor detection system (commonly known as an electronic nose) to predict and suppress odor based on real-time data. The Automation Factories at Taichung Port project introduces appropriate oil pipeline management mechanisms to ensure the high efficiency of production process and the stability of product quality. According to Lin, more processes and projects can be introduced in the future to move towards more automated and intelligent factory operations, thereby increasing the Fwusow’s capacity to quickly respond to market changes.
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